Feeding pets homemade dog food has become a trend. Pet parents want their furry family members to enjoy high-quality dog foods free from preservatives, with many searching for the best fresh dog food brands and subscribing to the best dog food delivery service companies that offer customized meals. Providing nutritious meals, however, comes with the challenge of knowing exactly how much fresh food to feed a dog. Dogs need certain amount of nutrients to stay healthy, with the ratio of foods being highly important.
Article Summary
Factors Affecting How Much Food You Should Give A Dog
The packs of kibble and wet food bought from retailers include feeding guides, so it is easy to feed Fido. However, knowing how much food to feed a dog can become difficult when you switch to fresh meals.
Generally, there are many factors to consider when you are thinking about how much food to provide for your dog. The factors include:
- Age
- Weight
- Breed
- Activity level
- Medical history
Making sure you address these issues will help you to determine how much food your dog needs each day.
Measure Your Dog’s Food
Before you start to feed your dog homemade dog food, you need to consider how much fresh dog food she can eat. A set of measuring cups will make it easy for you to measure out the correct amount of food for your dog’s weight. The ideal amount of dog food for your pup is between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup per 25 pounds of body weight. Switching to a fresh food diet can make it difficult to get the nutritional value of your food right, so do your research or ask your fresh dog food provider. Following the advice of your vet will also help you to provide a healthy diet made with fresh food.
Don’t Forget Lifestyle Issues
Pet owners should consider how much exercise adult dogs get each day. An active dog needs more food than a dog that spends her days snoozing on the couch. The lifestyle of your dog has a big effect on the amount of food she eats. If your pup gains weight you can factor this into the recipe you choose for fresh dog food.
A Healthier Dog
Making the switch to homemade diet promotes questions about health and feeding amounts. Overweight dogs can enjoy a switch to fresh foods based on their love of kibble. One of the main reasons for making the switch to homemade food is to combat skin conditions. Allergies to the by-products used in commercial dog foods can impact the skin of your pooch. A healthy dog fed with fresh food will have a soft and shiny coat. The bad breath and poor oral hygiene associated with commercial dog foods will be a thing of the past.
Get the Ratio Right
The ratio of meat to vegetables and grains is important to every recipe. Grains are linked to some negative health impacts on dogs [1], but they also do provide some health benefits as part of a balanced diet.
The perfect ratio for homemade food is 40 percent meat to 30 percent vegetables. The final 30 percent is grains. Pet parents choosing to skip grains can use 60 percent meat and 40 percent vegetables. The question, “what is grain-free dog food?” should be taken into account by pet parents.
Get the Right Advice
Choosing to make your own dog food is a difficult task without the help of a trained professional. Nutritionists work hard to create the best dog food brands that are nutritionally balanced. So if you are a pet parent working on a dog food recipe, the best ally for you is your vet. A vet will be able to offer advice and support as you navigate the process of making your homemade food.
Add Different Meats
Dogs have become accustomed to not including carbohydrates in their diet. A healthy dog does not need carbs to remain happy and healthy. One of the simplest ways of keeping your pooch healthy is to add organ meats to support their good health. Organ meats can target specific problems with your dog’s health through feeding. Green tripe containing natural probiotics will help limit digestive problems. Feeding your dog organ meats will help give them a boost of enzymes, minerals, and protein. A dog suffering from heart issues benefits from the feeding of hearts as part of its diet. Feeding a dog an organ matched to their medical condition will help give them a boost of good health.
Vary the Ingredients
The ingredients in homemade dog foods can become boring for your dog. Providing an inflexible diet does not promote a healthy lifestyle. Calcium, for one, is an important part of a dog’s diet. Calcium is needed to keep her bones healthy and improves the health of her teeth. Varying her diet will not only keep her interested in her homemade dog food but will help add calcium and other nutrients to her system.
Adding fresh and frozen fish to the diet of your pup will help to keep her joints flexible and her bones healthy. Omega-3 fatty acids are heart-healthy and keep your pup fit for the future. Supplements are available to add vitamin D and Omega-3s to her diet. Fresh fish added to her diet regularly will help to keep her feeling her best into her old age.
FAQs
1. How much homemade food should I feed my dog per day?
There are plenty of factors to consider when choosing how much food to provide for your dog. An average diet consists of between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup of dog food per 25 pounds of body weight. Add and subtract food based on her activity levels.
2. How much freshly cooked food should I feed my dog?
Between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup of food.
4. How do you calculate homemade dog food?
The calculation of between 1/2 and 3/4 of a cup of fresh food is average. Add in exercise level and the tendency for your pup to gain weight when starting to feed her fresh and raw dog food.
